Joy

Carl Sandburg 1878 (Galesburg) – 1967 (Flat Rock)



Let a joy keep you.
Reach out your hands
And take it when it runs by,
As the Apache dancer
Clutches his woman.
I have seen them
Live long and laugh loud,
Sent on singing, singing,
Smashed to the heart
Under the ribs
With a terrible love.
Joy always,
Joy everywhere--
Let joy kill you!
Keep away from the little deaths.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 30, 2023

18 sec read
218

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKLMAN
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 326
Words 63
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

Carl Sandburg

Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor best known for poetry. more…

All Carl Sandburg poems | Carl Sandburg Books

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